In January 2024, a temporary two-year cap was announced on Canadian study permits by the Canadian government. This means around 606,250 applications will be limited for new Canadian study permits, resulting in 360,000 expected study permit approvals in 2024. In 2025, the government has noted that the new study permits will be issued up to 437,000. Based on each province or territory’s population study permit applications will be allocated.

In 2024, students in K-12, master’s degree, and doctoral degree programs do not need a study permit cap. Consequently, this cap will mostly affect students at the undergraduate university and college level. However, in 2025, master’s degree and doctoral degree students are included in the study permit cap. Students who are current study permit holders, or who are applying for study permit renewals (extensions) are not included.

The study permit cap does not apply to K-12 international students. K-12 students also need not include a provincial attestation letter (PAL) with their study permit application.

No. Postgraduate programs, like postgraduate diplomas and certificates which are completed in a short duration, are not included on IRCC’s list of exemptions. Only master’s degree, doctoral degree, and K-12 students are spared from the study permit cap in 2024.

Private colleges and universities will be subjected to the same rules and restrictions as public colleges and universities.

A PPP, or public-private partnership, is an official agreement between a public college and an affiliated private college. In some territories, public colleges may license their curricula to instructors at a private college (which may not be in the same city). So, while students physically attend classes at a private college, they graduate with a diploma from a public institution as per the agreement. As of May 15, 2024, students after their graduation from public-private partnership institutions (PPPs) may no longer apply for post-graduation work permits (PGWPs).

Since institutions will allow only a certain number of admissions under the cap, some programs will become more competitive. Institutions will only grant acceptance letters to candidates who have the surety to get study permit approval. This means that a strong application and GPA ranking will be most necessary than ever for students, especially in popular territories like British Columbia and Ontario. In 2024, the criteria for master’s degree, doctoral degree, and K-12 students were unlikely to change, since those programs were unaffected by the cap. This will change in 2025 for master’s degree and doctoral degree programs, as they will be included in the study permit cap.

Proposed federal regulations would require colleges and universities to share with the Canadian Government the successful enrollment of an international student attending a class. The institution may be added to a publicly accessible suspension list if it fails to comply with the regulation, or if letters of acceptance were not properly issued. On suspension, all study permit applications submitted to an institution will be returned to the applicants. The suspensions can last up to 12 months.

A provincial attestation letter (PAL) or territorial attestation letter (TAL) is an electronic document that states that a student must submit their application for a study permit under a territory’s cap.

PAL and TAL processes may be different by territory or province and are set by each provincial or territorial government. In most cases, PALs and TALs are issued directly to the students by academic institutions. For institutions outside of Quebec, it is recommended to contact your academic institution for its specific process. General TAL/PAL guidance for every Canadian province and territory is listed on the IRCC website. Quebec was one of the first provinces to have a fully implemented PAL process. British Columbia’s process came into effect on March 4. As of March 28, 2024, all other provinces set processes or begun issuing PALs. For the latest up-to-date information Check the IRCC page

As of January 22, 2024, to apply for their Canadian study permit applicants must provide a provincial attestation letter . Generally, the only students not requiring the need for PAL or TAL are preschool, master’s degree, doctoral degree, and K-12 students, and also students at a school participating in the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot or a federally designated military college The Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) or Certificat d’Acceptation du Québec may work as a PAL, if it includes the following sentence: “This attestation letter confirms that the applicant has a place in Quebec’s share of the distribution of study permit applications or is exempt from it.” Check the official IRCC website for the latest updates.

Generally, students with a letter of acceptance who pay their tuition deposit immediately will get a PAL. In the rare case where a student does not get a PAL, they may request a tuition deposit refund. Students who are not exempted to need a PAL may not study in that province or territory without PAL.

Students who have submitted study permit applications before January 22, 2024, do not require a PAL/TAL. Students applying for K-12, master’s degree, and doctoral degree programs will not require a PAL or TAL. Exempt students may apply for a study permit as usual. All non-exempt students must wait until they have a PAL/TAL. Study permit applications submitted by non-exempt students on or after January 22, 2024, without a PAL or TAL will be refunded and returned to the student. The student must then resubmit their application with the attestation letter, once it is available.

Yes. Students should consider paying tuition deposits as soon as possible. Because the sooner students pay the required tuition deposits, the better prompt attestation letter will be offered to them, which they need to apply for a study permit. This process will make them less likely to be affected by the study permit cap.

Generally, students will be eligible to ask for a full tuition deposit refund if they do not receive a PAL or a study permit. However, this will differ as per institution, so confirm with the student’s college or university. Some tuition deposits may be refunded, whereas some are not refundable. The institution’s standard refund policy will apply if a student decides to withdraw their application for personal reasons.

As of now, this is still unclear and may differ by province. These letters are likely collaborated to a specific study program, meaning that if a student switches a program they would require a new PAL or TAL. If a student switches to another program at the same institution, they could ask the institution for a new or updated PAL/TAL, but this would be decided by the institution’s discretion.

The institution may be able to reissue or use the same PAL/TAL (either for the same student or for another student) if the initial student does not use their attestation letter. However, this will depend on each province’s PAL/TAL process and regulations.

No. If a student’s study permit was rejected, they can no longer reuse the same PAL for their next application. Reusing a previously issued PAL will result in the automatic withdrawal of their new application.

Students who need a PAL or TAL should wait until they receive one from their chosen institution (or province or territory). Whereas students may apply for their study permit, who do not require a PAL/TAL or who gets a PAL/TAL from any province or territory.

As mentioned before, K-12, master’s degree, and doctoral degree students do not need a PAL/TAL and are exempted from the study permit cap. Processes for these students are unchanged, so they need not change their study permit. Other students of undergraduate programs or graduate certificates should consider changing April or early May start dates if they are concerned, they will not receive their study permit on time.

Yes. As students don’t require a PAL or TAL in post-graduate degree programs (like master’s and PhDs), and are exempt from the study permit cap, they may proceed with their application.

Yes. Most institutions would make it necessary for a student to pay their tuition deposit before issuing them a PAL or TAL, which will allow the student to apply for their study permit. Moreover, while not exactly stated on the IRCC website, proof of a tuition deposit payment is part a of a student’s proof of financial ability while applying for a study permit.

No. Generally, if a student wants to switch from one institution to another, they must apply for a new study permit before the start date of the new study program.

It varies. EduCanada notes every Canadian college, and university has its own regulations for assessing international students’ academic credentials. Some institutions will check students’ credentials in-house. Other students may need to use an assessment service to see if their degree is sufficient, or if they need to choose another program (like a one-year postgraduate certificate) first.

Having knowledge of the process- How students apply is a bit different at each university. Create a calendar with deadlines of application for each institution and ensure they meet each milestone. Apply early- Students in a hurry often miss some things, which can put their application at risk. Certain protocols like requesting transcripts, gathering documents, asking for references, and writing a personal statement can take longer than expected. Curate each application- Highlight and match the student’s work and education experience for the specific program in their resume, reference letters, and personal statement.

Yes. As of November 8, 2024, eligible students may now work up to 24 hours per week in off-campus jobs while their class is in session. During an academic break like summer break for those not taking summer courses students may work full-time hours before the beginning of fall semester.

As of September 18, 2024, new work permit rules have now come into effect, building on previous updates from March 2024. Now, spouses and common-law partners of students with valid study permits may only get an open work permit if the student is enrolled in selective programs. These programs include either a master’s degree program (of at least 16 months in duration) or doctoral degree program at a university or polytechnic institution, or one of these professional degree programs at a university:

• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD)
• Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL)
• Doctor of Medicine (MD)
• Doctor of Optometry (OD)
• Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm)
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN, BNSc)
• Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.)
• Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng., BE, BASc)

Undergraduate and college students who are planning to bring their spouse or common-law partner to Canada should know this change, as their partners will no longer be eligible to work if the student is not studying in one of the above-listed programs.  

Diploma and certificate students (undergraduate or graduate) can bring dependents to Canada. Mostly, these dependents are no longer eligible for an open work permit. Note that these dependents may apply for a visitor visa or their own study permit but may not work full-time.

Yes, students can still bring their dependent children to Canada. The child or children must apply for their own visitor or study permits (or work permit, if eligible). You may check here the government’s guidelines to see if your child is dependent.

Minor children (17 years old or younger) must either come with their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to Canada or have an appointed custodian. If their parent or guardian had a work or study permit, the K-12 student would still need their own study permit. Refer to the Government of Canada’s website for more details.

Having a child in a K-12 study program in Canada does not immediately make a parent or guardian eligible for a Canadian work permit. Parent(s) or guardian(s) need to apply for their own work or study permit.

One must understand that PGWP program eligibility is different for students who submitted their study permit application before November 1, 2024, and for those who submitted their study permit application after the date.   For a student submitting their study permit before November 1, 2024:

• If their program is under 8 months duration, they are ineligible for the PGWP.
• If their program is at least 8 months long, but less than 2 years, their PGWP will be valid for up to the same duration as their study program (a new graduate from a 10-month program would receive the PGWP of up to 10 months).
• For graduates in non-master’s degree programs which are two years or longer receive the PGWP of up to three years.
• Master’s degree graduates receive PGWPs of up to three years, even if their program is under two years long.

For a student submitting their study permit after November 1, 2024: Bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree program:

• Students need to meet the criteria for CLB or NCLC at level 7 or higher in all language areas.
• No additional field of study is required.

Any other university program (e.g. certificates or diplomas):

• Meet criteria for CLB or NCLC at level 7 or higher in all language areas.
• Study program must be in a PGWP-eligible field of study.

College program, or any other program not listed above:

• Meet criteria for CLB or NCLC at level 5 or higher in all language areas.
• Study program must be in a PGWP-eligible field of study.

If a student is applying for PGWP after November 1, 2024, all applicants must also meet Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements for English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French proficiency. Language proficiency test results must be less than two years old when the PGWP application is submitted. Since May 15, 2024, the PGWP program is no longer open for new students at public-private partnership (PPP) institutions. However, students who are already enrolled in a study program at a PPP before May 15, 2024, may still apply for a PGWP.  

Starting February 15, 2024, graduates from master’s programs of less than two years, but lasting at least eight months, may be eligible for a three-year PGWP. Moreover, as of May 15, 2024, the PGWP program is no longer open for new students at public-private partnership institutions (PPPs). However, students who already enrolled in a study program at a PPP before May 15, 2024, may still apply for a PGWP. Starting on November 1, 2024, all PGWP program applicants must meet CLB or NCLC language criteria for their level of study (at least level 5 for college graduates, and level 7 for university graduates). To apply for the PGWP college or non-degree university program graduates must also have studied a PGWP-eligible field of study.

Yes, as long as both programs were at least eight months long (or 900 hours for Quebec credentials) and PGWP-eligible. If a student already had the PGWP after completing the first study program, they may not apply for PGWP again.

The strictness and sudden change of this policy will affect Canada’s reputation in the short term, means some students will look elsewhere for study opportunities. However, in the long term, once the new processes are set, Canada will remain a strong study destination option, especially for master’s students and those who qualify for the still-best post-graduation work permit. Within Canada, geographic interest may shift, with provinces like Alberta expected to become more popular.

In 2023, Australia increased its minimum cost of living amount for students, and further policy changes have unfolded throughout 2024. Australia is also scheduled to put a soft cap on its number of incoming international students in 2025. In the United Kingdom, changes to students’ dependent policy are predicted to impact student course.

A quick way to learn about the cost of living is to use a cost of living calculator, like WOWA or TD Bank’s student budget calculator. Some provinces and institutions also offer custom calculators.